In the midst of the race leading up to presidential elections in November, we could all use some laughs. So the timing seems perfect for a political comedy.

That's one of the reasons local director Conrad Selvig chose "Chesapeake" for the next production he's directing for the Carmel Bay Players. He explained, "It deals with artists and funding and politics — so it is good timing."

Political relevance aside, Selvig said the other reason he wanted to direct this play is that "it's beautifully written and clever. Lee Blessing is quite an imaginative writer."

A one-man show starring Ron Genauer in four main roles and a handful of minor characters — in addition to a politically influential Chesapeake Bay Retriever — the play tells the story of Kerr, a New York performance artist known for his sensational productions.

"Chesapeake" opens Friday night at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel, where it will play for three subsequent weekends.

Blessing penned this play in 1999, following the National Endowment for the Arts controversy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs depicting homoeroticism came under fire because they were supported by public funds, raising questions about censorship, what qualifies as art and who gets to decide.

Interwoven throughout humorous scenarios, these serious themes run through the play — and remain as relevant today as they did when the play was written, said Selvig, adding, "It certainly awakens what is fundamentally important about art in our lives — as well as compassion, understanding and tolerance."

Set on a bare stage, with only a stool for a prop, the color of this production comes from Genauer's vocally diverse solo performance.

Selvig said that it's reminiscent of a Woody Allen film, describing how Genauer will "break character then make commentary to the audience. It becomes humorous in that respect."

"My favorite part of acting is responding and playing off of other characters," said Genauer, "but I'm doing this because I love this play. It's a gorgeously written piece."

When asked how he manages to play so many characters ranging from a dog and a performance artist to a Southern politician and his power-hungry wife, he simply picked up the script and began reading over the phone.

As his voice changed from a wizened old man to a distinct Southern belle, the characters became as clear as if he'd changed costume.

"Not only do the characters speak together, but the narrator comes in with interchange between them," Genauer said. "It makes it a little crazy, but it's a fun challenge."

He said that for the first time in his acting career he's utilized a recording device to help memorize the lines, recording himself and then playing the lines back to review them while jogging or riding his bike.

"What I love most about this play is the resolution," he said. "These two very different people (the performance artist and the politician) learn about each other."

He added that our partisan society could learn a lot from this play.

"One side dismisses what the other says just because it comes from the other side. This play speaks to that — a liberal artist and conservative Southerner come to understand one another and, if not love each other, at least respect each other."